Machiavelli's political philosophy and influence

¶ … Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

In Defense of Tyranny: The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli, Italian historian, statesman, and philosopher of the Renaissance period, was known for his discourse, The Prince, published in the 16th century, for discussing his views on political leadership, particularly that of tyranny. In fact, The Prince is best described as a discourse on tyranny and authoritarian rule, and embodied through the Prince's personality, Machiavelli sets his standards on what kind of leader will benefit both the state and its people from threats against invasion from foreign rule.

This paper discusses two important aspects of Machiavelli's The Prince: (1) the characteristics of the Prince and the kind of society he will rule and (2) the permissiveness of tyranny in making society secure from foreign invasion/rule. Provided with these two important factors, this paper posits that Machiavelli's The Prince illustrates how tyranny can be functional (instead of detrimental) to ensure peace and stability within society, especially in the context of 16th century Western governance.

This position must first be established by looking into the political movements in the Western society -- that is, the historical context whereby Machiavelli's discourse was created. 16th century-Italian society is characterized by chaos, where French, Spanish, and German forces tried to conquer the country and rule it. As a citizen and observer of these political conflicts in his country, Machiavelli decided that to make Italy secure from foreign invasion, Italian society must become independent and united under one rational and wise leader -- in the persona of the Prince. Thus, the Prince and tyranny served as Machiavelli's elements for an ideal government in an unstable society.

Going further into his analysis of the socio-political movements in his country, Machiavelli's observation includes an analyses of the qualities of the leaders or 'princes' who were not able to sustain their leadership and government. In chapter XXIV ("Why the Princes of Italy Have Lost their States"), he explains that these leaders have been "defective... some of them either had the people against them, or... they have not known how to secure themselves against their nobles." Furthermore, in this section, while Machiavelli attributes Fortune as one of the motivating forces that determine a leader's success in governance, the leader's skills and influence to the people, in large part, determines the success or failure of the Prince. Thus, in effect, he asserts, "I think it may be the case that Fortune is the mistress of one half of our actions, and yet leaves the control of the other half, or a little less, to ourselves."

Thus, having looked into the past mistakes of leaders and princes of Italy, Machiavelli formulates his own standards in making the "other half" (that is, leader's skills and character), work for the prince himself and society. In chapter XVII, "Of cruelty and clemency, and whether it is better to be loved than feared," centers on the important characteristics that a Prince must act or behave towards his society. According to Machiavelli, "to be feared is safer than to be loved"; the Prince, in effect, must be feared than loved. This is because in loving, people have the tendency to either take for granted their leader, or even abuse his authority, exploiting it for their own self-interests. Fear, on the other hand, invites respect and vigilance among people, for it is the constant fear of being punished or reprimanded that people try to give their best and be the best citizens for the society and the Prince. Thus, for Machiavelli, the Prince must be feared to invite respect and implement discipline among people.

Subsisting to the philosophy that "a shrewd prince will lay his foundations on what is under his own control, not on what is controlled by others," Machiavelli then provides evidence as to why a tyrannical government is better than a liberal one. Arguing this point, he asserts that, "... liberality is useful in becoming a prince, but worthless once in power... A prince should guard, above all, against being despised and hated; and liberality leads to both" (Chapter 16, Of liberality and Meanness). This is in relation to Machiavelli's preference for fear of people rather than love towards their leader or prince: liberty, like love, can lead to complacency, eventual loss of respect, and results to ineffectiveness of the Prince's leadership/governance.